


8-Island Undressing

by artku



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Canon Compliant, Do folks even say lemon anymore?, F/M, Grayza - Freeform, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Lemon, Lemon-free version on FFN, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, The Great Fairy Tail Bake Off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:33:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artku/pseuds/artku
Summary: Gray and Erza find themselves growing closer while preparing for a baking competition at the guild. Two hot mages in close proximity? There was only ever one way this would turn out. Do they have more than just chemistry between them? Well, wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake.Lemon at end, rest of the work can be enjoyed without the lemon if you're not into that sort of thing.
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Erza Scarlet
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31
Collections: Grayza Fanzine





	8-Island Undressing

**Author's Note:**

> The lovely mods of the Grayza fanzine told me to go ahead and post my fics on here! So hurrah! I still highly recommend you download it (google search Grayza fanzine tumblr, you'll find the link there) because they have some fantastic artwork on there, that really makes my fics look so much better T_T.

Clang! The sound of a metal tray connecting with Natsu's unusually hard head rang through Hargeon's newest restaurant.

"Don't eat the customers' food!" Lucy yelled.

"Don't throw trays!" Happy exclaimed, coming to his best friend's defence. Natsu merely continued chewing, unperturbed by the fact that the drumstick he had previously been enjoying was now fully inside his mouth, bone and all. Gray caught the flicker that crossed Lucy's face and decided to intervene before her meltdown caused an even bigger scene.

"Sometimes, it's nice to dress up like a waiter too," he said, holding a tray of drinks aloft.

"Say that after putting on some clothes," Lucy countered, casting an eye over his barely clad body. In his defence, a bowtie and boxer shorts did count as waiter attire in some establishments. Maybe not in a former council member's new family restaurant. But in _some_ places.

Gray narrowed his eyes at her. "Hey now, whose rent are we doing this for again?" he scolded.

"Sorry," Lucy mumbled sheepishly. Afterall, their last mission to capture the bandit Velveno had fallen through because of her.

"Besides," he continued, his voice softening, "take a look." He inclined his head towards the redhead walking between the tables, her hips swaying dangerously with every step. She leaned over a table, providing the unwitting customers an eyeful of her assets.

"Allow me to take your order," she purred.

Gray pitied the poor awestruck fools. OK, maybe not. He felt distinctly irked by the lecherous gleam in one guy's eye.

"What do you want?" Erza demanded. "Come on, out with it!" She slammed her hand down on the table.

Gray swung back towards pity. The three customers ended up ordering one of every item on the menu. That was going to make quite a dent in their pockets.

"I see. That makes it much easier. You have my gratitude." The simpering purr returned to her voice.

"Likewise!" they chorused. It looked like Titania's fan club had three new members. Gray sweatdropped. "Some guys are really into it," he muttered. He counted himself as one of the unfortunate lot. A bright orange pinafore did little to diminish Erza's beauty.

She turned away from the table and smirked. "This, too, is a challenge."

She winked at Gray on her way to the kitchen, brushing past him so deliberately that he was starting to regret his lack of trousers. He tried not to be too obvious as he watched her walk away. Oh Mavis, he was in big trouble and he was not even sure when it began.

* * *

It began, as these things tend to, with a perfectly innocent idea. "Master!" Mira chirped, "What do you think of having some kind of competition to boost guild morale?"

Makarov scratched his chin and hummed. "A competition, you say? But what kind?" His eyes lit up. "A swimsuit modelling contest!"

Mira 'accidentally' dropped her serving tray on his head. "Ho ho ho, I am so clumsy today."

"Yes, you have been clumsy a lot of late," he grumbled, giving her a sideways glance.

A brawl was breaking out somewhere in front of them. They ignored it and continued to brainstorm.

"A race?" Mira suggested.

"We already have one every year. Rejected. A maid-cosplay contest?"

"Oops, dropped my tray again. Rejected. A quiz?"

Natsu squared off against Gray, "You want a piece of me, you- you- black haired person?"

"I'm ready when you are, you pink haired person!"

Mira and Master Makarov exchanged a glance. "Rejected." The two of them ducked as a table was sent flying their way.

"WHO WRECKED MY CAKE?!" a furious Erza yelled, flipping another table.

"Cake-baking contest?" Makarov suggested mildly.

"This is going to be fun."

* * *

"A bake-off? Whose dumb idea was this?" Gray asked. "Oh, it was you, Mirajane? No, no, I was joking. It's a great idea!"

"Yoss! I will show everyone the true art of baking." Erza requipped into her Chef Armour, which consisted of a swimsuit, an apron and a tall chef's hat.

A loud burp caught everyone's attention. "What's the prize?" Cana slurred.

"Maybe I can win _this_ competition and pay my rent," Lucy schemed.

"The prize is…" Mira thought aloud. Her eyes alighted upon Master Makarov's slumbering form. "Master Makarov will do anything you ask for a day."

"Huh?" The bubble of snot dangling from Master Makarov's nose burst with a pop. "One hour," he replied sternly.

"Half a day."

"One hour."

Mira pouted. "You're no fun Master. One hour. Master Makarov will do anything you ask for one hour."

The guildhall filled with the susurration of excited whispering. Master Makarov cleared his throat. "There is one caveat: you will have to compete in pairs!"

Natsu sprang up on a table. "Alright! Bake a cake and get Master to work for you! Are you ready, Happy?"

"Aye Sir!"

"The contest will be held in two weeks' time. So, practice hard everyone!" Mira said.

'In pairs eh?' thought a figure lurking at the back of the hall. 'Time to get my revenge.'

* * *

Evergreen slipped onto the barstool next to Juvia. "Why so glum?"

"Juvia wants to ask Gray-sama to be her partner for the competition but Juvia's baking skills are still at the beginner level."

"Oh, is that all," Evergreen said with fake nonchalance. It was time to put her plan in action. She had overheard Erza talking to herself in the bath a few days ago and now she had the perfect way to get her revenge. "You know, I have heard that baking together with someone is a sure-shot way to fall in love."

"Really?!"

The sudden change in Juvia's demeanour told Evergreen that her plan was working. All that was left was to go in for the kill. "But I think Gray is going to ask Lucy, anyway."

Juvia was gone from her seat before Ever could say 'drip.'

Evergreen watched her go with the smug satisfaction of a billiards champion watching a trick shot knock the 8-ball into the pocket closely followed by a second.

"Gray-sama! Juvia will be your partner for the competition!" Juvia sang.

"No thanks," he said flatly.

"Everyone! Don't forget the competition is compulsory," Mira chirped with a sweet smile on her face, "Those who don't participate will have to undergo Master's punishment."

Gray paled, visions of a 4-tier cake in the shape of his face warred with visions of Makarov's punishment. Which would be the greater evil? "Ah ha huhhhh," he floundered.

"Does- does Gray-sama already have a partner?" Juvia asked, disappointment rising in her voice.

"Yes," he lied, casting about for a likely candidate. Juvia had offered him a ready-made excuse; it would be rude not to use it. He spotted his teammate's familiar red head and prayed to the Gods that she would play along. "Erza!"

"What is the matter, Gray?" she asked, walking over.

Evergreen watched the exchange with growing horror. The cue ball skated past the 8, pinged off the edge of the table and rolled into the pocket.

An expression that was halfway between puppy dog eyes and a fake smile etched itself on Gray's face. "I was just telling Juvia that we had already decided to enter the baking contest together."

"We did?" Erza replied, puzzled. She caught the brief but meaningful tilt of his head. She tilted hers back, as if to say, 'You owe me.' She clapped a hand on Gray's shoulder and said, "Of course we did. When you want to win a cake-baking contest, you come to an expert on cake. And we all know Gray hates to lose."

These lines were delivered with all the expression and smoothness of a marionette. Fortunately for Gray, Juvia was too trusting to suspect that Erza was lying. She slunk, defeated, back to Evergreen and the two of them decided to drown their failure in liquor.

Neither Gray nor Erza spared them a glance. "So, partner," Erza said, her grip on his shoulder tightening, "When do we get started?"

And that was how it all began.

* * *

Gray wiped away the fleck of egg white that had landed on his eyelid and surveyed the disaster-zone formerly known as his kitchen. "I don't think you're supposed to _literally_ beat the egg whites, Erza," he commented dryly.

"They keep getting clumpy and frozen in this stupid ice bowl," she growled, angrily stabbing at the mixture with a whisk.

"You broke all my other bowls. This was the best I could do."

Erza looked at the graveyard of pottery scattered along the northern wall of the kitchen. "Stupid, flimsy things."

"That one over there was made of stone."

Gray was grateful that looks could not actually kill. He needed to stop flapping his mouth around her. It was strange and new; this side of Erza. She was… open. And easy to talk to. When did that happen? She had always been his nakama, but now she was also becoming his friend. One of his closest friends. Closer now than she had ever been, in fact.

"Erza, why are you sniffing me?" he asked, taking a step back. It was easy to ignore the fact that Erza's Chef Armour was just a swimsuit and an apron when she was several feet away. Not when she was within kissing distance. Gray started at the peculiar choice of words his brain had landed upon. He took a few more steps just to be safe.

"Weird. I can still smell your laundry detergent even when you're not wearing any clothes," Erza said.

A look down at his torso confirmed that he had indeed managed to strip again. Boxer shorts included. "Ack! My clothes!"

* * *

A couple of hours later, Gray was pulling a fairly passable-looking cake from the oven. Things had gone a lot more smoothly when they had exchanged roles. Erza was very good at measuring and he was very good at not breaking his crockery.

"Not bad eh?" he said.

"We'll need to slice away part of the top to give it a better shape." She passed him the mixing bowl and whisk. "Here, take over."

He dutifully took over the preparation of the whipped cream frosting while she shaped the cake with her sword. They made a good team, the two of them.

"Now what?" he asked, when she was done.

"Now we wait for the cake to cool and then we ice it!"

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You know I can cool the cake in four seconds, right?"

"No! The cake must cool gradually. Or else it will have a terrible texture."

The fierce look in her eye made his knees tremble just the slightest bit. "Fine. I won't."

"What should I do with this then?" he asked, "Keep it cool?"

"That is for me," she replied calmly, plucking the bowl from his hands. "You need to make some more for the cake."

Gray watched speechlessly as she added two punnets of strawberries to the bowl and proceeded to eat the whole thing.

"Who are the judges for the competition anyway?" he asked when he had recovered sufficiently.

Slap! The finger that had bravely tried to edge its way into the bowl of cream was retracted swiftly.

"That's a good question. I think it is going to be Master, Macao and Wakaba."

Gray sucked on his smarting finger. "Interesting," he replied. He began whipping up a fresh batch of frosting.

"Why?" Erza asked, licking some cream off the spatula. Her tongue lazily traced a figure eight over the wooden surface, scooping the fluffy white cream into her mouth.

Gray cleared his throat and focused on the task at hand. The cold bowl in his hand did little to assuage the sudden tightness he felt in his pants.

"Well? Out with it. Why is it interesting?"

He realised belatedly, that he had spent the last several minutes silently staring at nothing, whisking with unusual fervour. "Just, well, we could perhaps do something to cater to the judges' specific taste- sorry, you've got a bit of cream on your mouth."

"Oh. Where?" There was that bright pink tongue again, tracing the outline of her plump lips, trying to find the errant glob of cream.

"Here," Gray said, touching the corner of his mouth.

"Did I get it?" she asked, poking her tongue out on the opposite side to the one he had indicated.

"No, it's right here." Before he knew what he was doing, he had reached out and wiped the little dot of cream away. He stuck his thumb in his mouth absently.

"Ah uh, thank you," Erza said, her ears turning pink.

It was only then that Gray had realised what he had done. Flustered, he turned his head back to the bowl. "I didn't get to taste any earlier," he said, injecting a feigned coolness into his voice.

Her ears went as red as her hair. "Sorry," she said, "I really like cream."

How had he failed to notice, in all the years that he had known her, that Erza blushed with her ears? No wonder she always seemed so calm and collected. Her ears were almost always hidden under her hair. He coughed to cover up the strange fluttering feeling that had started up in his belly. "Right, um. So, as I was saying, we could maybe-"

"Time to frost the cake!" she interrupted. Few things in life were as important to Erza as cake and, in baking, timing was everything. She quickly screwed a nozzle onto an empty piping bag and passed it to Gray.

"I was thinking that we'd have a better chance of winning if we managed to do something that suited the judges' tastes," he continued. He piped delicate whorls of whipped cream along the edge of the pink cake.

"More. More. We need more cream." Erza instructed. "What could we add to the dish? We cannot put steak in a cake. That is Master's favourite."

"I don't know, we could ask around. Do some research. The competition is ten days away anyway."

Erza hummed, considering the idea. "Aha. I have got it!"

Gray looked up curiously, frosting the cake mechanically.

A yellow glow engulfed Erza. She reappeared in an armour that was sparse even by her standards. "There is one thing that all three of them like," she said, calmly rearranging the strategically placed leather stars on her mesh top.

Gray's hand slipped. A splodge of cream spurted from the tip of the piping bag.

The thin thread of white dripped limply towards the table. Gray recovered swiftly, quickly wiping the nozzle with his finger before the cream hit the wood.

"Sorry, I-"

Suddenly Erza's mouth was around his finger, hot and wet. Her tongue stroked a flat circle around him, setting his skin aflame.

Their eyes met and Erza released him, his finger sliding from her mouth with a pop. "Sorry," she said almost curiously, "I just really like cream."

* * *

The next ten days passed in something of a daze. Erza and Gray baked a practice cake every day. Every day, she would turn up on his doorstep, two heart-eyed, strawberry-carting Vulcans behind her. Every day, his kitchen grew smaller and smaller, until he began to wonder how he had ever managed to fit an oven in there, let alone a dining table with 8 chairs.

They were unable to walk past each other without brushing up against each other. He would be chopping strawberries at the counter when she would need to access the shelf overhead, pressing her breasts into his back as she did. She would be measuring the flour just as he needed the egg whisk on the wall behind her, his mouth lingering by her steadily reddening ears.

They never made eye contact or acknowledged what they were doing. They never even spoke of why it was that Gray found it necessary to bury his nose in her hair every time he reached around her for something. Or why she insisted on sprinkling a thin layer of salt on the cake when it was done, mysteriously claiming that it 'just tastes better.'

In all honesty, Gray had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that one day they were working on opposite ends of the kitchen and the next they'd miraculously ended up sharing the narrow countertop against the east wall. And that maybe he was pushing his luck just a bit further every day; his touches lingering just that bit longer, his actions growing just that bit bolder.

That and that his water bill was going through the roof because of all the cold showers he was taking.

And that maybe his stripping habit was finally getting under control, what with him sporting a half chub every time she walked into the room. In fact, he thought the more layers he had between his crotch and her, the better. He had sat next to her in the guildhall the other day, and she had slid her hand right up his boxer shorts! She had not gone too high, just a few inches above his knee, but it almost made him spontaneously combust. Happy had assumed he was choking and had gone flying off to Porlyusica for help.

He had almost said something to her then, but something made him hold back. What if he did ask her what they were doing, and they suddenly stopped? That would somehow be more agonising than the way he currently felt. He was happy with the way things were. No point in asking for more and losing it all. Right?

* * *

"Are you sure?" Freed's urgent whisper filtered over the speakers.

"Master, that's a wonderful idea!" Mirajane clapped her hands excitedly.

"You're getting more creative with every passing year," Wakaba said.

Gray and Erza exchanged wary looks. The shyness of the past two weeks was forgotten the instant they set foot in the guild hall. It was game time, and they were here to win.

Mirajane swept onto the stage, microphone in hand. "Good morning everyone, and welcome to Fairy Tail's first annual bake-off! The theme for this year's contest is... cakes! Be it sponge, gateau, fruit or erm... cup, anything goes! Surprise the judges with your creativity, blow them away with your flavours.

"Underneath your workbenches, you should find all the staples required to bake a cake, such as butter, flour and eggs. Of course, contestants will have full access to the Fairy Tail pantry for the duration of the cook." She paused. A dark aura enveloped her, despite her smiling face. "You had better not mess my kitchen up," she said sweetly.

"You will have three hours for the cook," Mirajane announced, "your time starts- aha! You didn't think it would be so easy, did you? Freed, if you will please do the honours."

Freed sighed and drew a rune in the air. "Laxus would never make me do this sort of work," he muttered. Purple runes began to appear along the guild walls.

"To make the competition a little more difficult, we have decided to institute a new rule! Since the contest is for pairs," Mira continued, "you will have to do everything together!"

Chains of purple runes sprang from the floor and cuffed themselves around the wrists of the participants. Gray looked at the runes wrapping his left wrist and followed them all the way to Erza's right hand. "Ah fuck."

"Language." Erza replied tersely.

Despite the fact that they would surely be hindered by this new rule, Gray could not help but smile at the now familiar flash of pink in her hair. Game face or not, being close to Gray made Erza blush.

"At random moments in the cook; the chain will get shorter."

Levy and Lucy stumbled as the chains suddenly lost several inches in length. "Damn, this is going to be tough!" Lucy mumbled.

"Don't worry Lu-chan, we've got this." Levy replied, already thinking of ways to rewrite Freed's trap.

"Other than the rules just stated, there are no other rules. So have fun and good luck! Your time starts... NOW!"

The guild erupted into a frenzy of activity. Erza grabbed the crate of ingredients from under the table and started sorting through them.

"And it looks like Evergreen and Bickslow are making the first move! Evergreen distracts Vijeeter and Warren with a Fairy Bomb, making them look into Bickslow's eyes. Warren and Vijeeter are under Bickslow's control now!" Macao exclaimed, really getting into his role as a commentator.

Evergreen and Bickslow were reclining on lawn chairs, watching Vijeeter and Warren scurry about to do their bidding. "What?" Evergreen said boredly, "There are no rules against it."

"No rules! No rules!" echoed Bickslow's babies.

"That's right folks, anything goes in this competition, as long as you keep it under three hours and stay linked to your partner at all times," Wakaba added. "Now in our younger days..."

Gray tuned out Wakaba's voice. A fireball was coming their way. "Ice Make: Wall!" Erza lost her balance due to the sudden movement and crashed against him.

"Sorry," Gray muttered.

"No. Well done. I will be more alert next time."

"And looks like Gray has thwarted Natsu's attack! That was some quick thinking by the ice mage!" Wakaba said.

"Hold up! Levy and Lucy are taking advantage of the distraction."

"Open, Gate of the Crab! Cancer!"

"What can I do for you-ebi?" The celestial spirit clicked his scissors.

"Give the Guns Squad a haircut please!" Lucy said.

"Like hell you will. Guns Magic!"

Erza requipped into her Adamantine Armour and shielded herself and Gray from the ensuing gunfight. "We have two options here," she shouted over the noise.

"What?" Gray yelled back.

"We can either start attacking, or we can focus on the cake."

They exchanged a look. "Cake," they agreed in unison.

"We've got everything we need here but we don't have any strawberries," Gray said.

"I will get them. You guard our table." Erza requipped into her Swift Wind armour and took off, oblivious to the purple chain around her wrist. Gray crashed into their workbench.

"We're chained together, idiot!"

"It is not my fault. I cannot think straight when you are near me!"

"What?" A smile inched slowly across Gray's face.

"I meant, who are you calling an idiot?" she yanked on the rune-chain, pulled him towards her and delivered a swift whack to his head.

Imaginary birds twittered around his head but Gray continued smiling like a dope. Erza's blush was travelling southward, her cheeks turning the perfect pink of- "Strawberries!"

"You are right. Time to take extreme measures. Requip!" The air around Erza shimmered. A winged helm appeared around her head and steel plates fell around her waist with a clank. "Heaven's Wheel, Circle Sword!"

All around the guild hall, swords began to rain down. They thudded into the floor a hair's breadth from every contestant's feet. "You can fight amongst yourselves if you wish to. But leave Gray and I alone. Or else," she paused for effect, her voice laced with menace, "the next sword will not miss."

"Scary!" Happy squealed, "As you wish, Erza-sama!"

"Aye!" yelped his partner, saluting smartly.

"Strawberries?" Erza asked, turning to Gray.

"You don't scare me, Titania!" Gajeel sent an Iron Dragon Roar their way.

"Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama! Water Slicer!" His partner joined in the attack.

Erza spun her sword in a circle, deflecting their attacks. She forgot, however, that Gray was attached to her arm. "Erza. Chain," he mumbled. His cheeks were puffed out in an excellent imitation of a motion-sick Natsu.

"Argh, this blasted thing!" Erza sliced at the rune chain. Both she and Gray were jolted with magical energy. It sent them flying backwards.

"Sorry kids, there's no way to break the chain. You've just got to learn to work together," Wakaba announced.

"Some people just aren't cut out for teamwork," Evergreen chipped in. Her high-pitched fake laugh stuttered to a halt when Erza glared at her.

"I'll show you who's a good team," Gray growled, dropping an Ice-Made Hammer on the sniggering duo. "Erza, you ready?" he asked.

She understood his intentions at once. "Ready!"

"Tag Team Chain Attack!" they yelled, running towards Gajeel and Juvia. They circled around them from opposite ends, wrapping the rune-chain around the two of them tightly.

"Now!" Gray said.

Erza slashed at the rune-chain. Gajeel and Juvia took the full force of the magical overload. It fritzed their systems, making them slump over.

"Strawberries?" Gray grinned at Erza.

"Not so fast," Gajeel choked out, "Iron Dragon Lance!"

Erza caught the oncoming iron fist with ease. "Hop on, Gray."

Gray obediently climbed on her back. "I," Erza yelled, spinning around in a circle, "Said." Gajeel and Juvia, attached by the rune chain, were whirled around rapidly. "LEAVE. US. ALONE!"

She let go of Gajeel's arm, sending him and Juvia flying into the air. They smashed through the roof of the guild and continued upwards. Fragments of wood floated down to the floor followed by a shower of purple sparks. Gajeel and Juvia scraped along Freed's runes as they soared. Juvia remembered from her recent encounter with them that they would not be ending any time soon.

Finally, their momentum decreased, and they came to a stop. Gajeel let out a sigh of relief, only to remember that what goes up must come down. He and Juvia began hurtling towards the floor a second later. "Aaaaaah!"

Down on ground level, Gray and Erza high-fived. "Strawberries?" she asked.

Gray's reply was cut off by Gajeel's loud scream as he and Juvia came careening down through the hole in the ceiling. A wet splash later, Gajeel was on the ground, staring up at the others through a bubble of water. Juvia's head poked miserably out of the bubble, her watery body having protected Gajeel from the fall. "It's not what it looks like, Gray-sama!" she wailed.

Gray sweatdropped and turned to Erza. "Strawberries."

* * *

"Alright contestants, your cakes should be coming out of the oven now! Only 40 minutes to go!" Mira announced.

The fighting had quieted down after the first hour. An armistice had been declared after Master Makarov had pointed out that not serving up a cake was equivalent to non-participation. Lucy had no idea what the Master's punishment entailed, but the scared reactions of the other contestants was enough to convince her of its awfulness. Natsu's tongue poked out of his mouth as he slipped the first of his fish cakes into the deep fryer.

"Natsu, I wanted to eat raw fish cakes! Lucy, look at what he's doing!"

"The cakes aren't for you," Lucy sweatdropped. The word 'cake' was being very loosely interpreted by her fellow contestants.

She and Levy pulled a wobbly cylinder from the oven. "Do you think the blue and orange squares came out properly?" Levy asked eagerly, hoping their take on a Battenberg would win them first place.

"Hmmph, is that what you call a cake, shrimp?" Gajeel said. He walked over to her table and took a sniff. He recoiled in mock horror.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Levy pounded him with her fists all the way back to his workstation.

"Look who's talking, Gajeel" Cana sneered drunkenly from her workstation in the back. "Who makes okonomiyaki for a cake-baking competition?!"

"It's a pan _cake_."

"More like stomach- _ache_."

"You want to come a little closer and say that, you drunk?"

"I'll do a whole lot more than that," Cana answered, pulling out her deck of cards.

"How about a drink first?" Max asked, ever the peacemaker. He pulled a bottle of rum out from under their workstation. They were onto their third bottle and so far only about a spoonful had gone into their cake.

"Excellent idea!" She poured a slug of rum into a measuring cup. "Piña Colada time. First the rum, then the pineapple juice," she sang, pouring in another slug of rum, "And finally, some coconut milk." She poured a pint of skim milk into the glass and proceeded to chug it down.

Gray watched her in fascinated horror. Cana's palate was not the most refined, but mistaking cow's milk for coconut milk and putting it in a Piña Colada was extreme even for her.

"Gray," Erza said.

"What's wrong?"

"We forgot the double cream for the frosting."

"Let's go get it then. We only have 30 minutes to go."

They sprinted towards the pantry. Jet and Droy were already in there, grabbing sultanas and walnuts for their fruitcake. They kept tripping and falling over, unused to the chain that bound their wrists.

"How much time do we have left?" Droy asked Erza as he brought an entire shelf down.

Erza and Gray jumped onto a high shelf to avoid the billowing clouds of flour. "28 minutes."

"We have to get back. High speed!" Jet sped out of the pantry, dragging Droy in his wake.

"Where's the double cream?" Gray asked.

"Top right corner." She pointed upwards. Gray squinted towards the ceiling. The Fairy Tail pantry was legendary, its tall shelves extending upwards for several storeys. Almost every ingredient under the sun could be found on its shelves. One just needed to know where to look. The pantry, being off limits to non-Mira personnel, was something of a mystery to the two of them. Luckily, Erza had done a quick recon in Heaven's Wheel armour when they had come in to get strawberries earlier.

They nodded at one another and then leapt onto the counter in unison. They moved smoothly despite the chain between them. Gray grinned at Erza, "And that's how it's done."

"You were right. We do make a good team." They vaulted up to the next level of shelves, and the next, finally reaching the topmost level of the pantry. "Don't look down," Erza said.

Gray risked a peek towards the floor and then instantly reached out to cling to the shelf in front of him. "How high up are we?"

"I told you not to look." She gently touched the hand that was joined to hers. "Come on, we need to move a little to the right."

"Tch. It would be great if we could fly."

They shuffled along the shelf. It looked like this part of the pantry had not been upgraded when the guild was refurbished. Erza stepped on an old, rotting board. It gave way under her weight.

"Watch out!" Gray pulled her into his arms just in time for them to see the broken plank fall towards the ground.

"Thanks," Erza said. Then, suddenly realising their proximity, her ears began to grow pink again.

"Have you ever noticed that you blush with your ears?"

"Shut up and grab the cream." She looked away, the tips of her ears growing redder.

"Cute," remarked Gray. The word was out of his mouth before his brain could engage. He opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, thinking desperately of a way to downplay what he had just said.

Erza blushed furiously. "I, um-eek!" Her shriek rang across the pantry as the rune-chain shortened yet again. The two of them lost their balance, toppling off the high shelf in the process.

The fall to the ground was long enough for Erza to requip into her Black-Wing Armour and try to slow their descent. They landed with a soft thud, bodies intact, no bones broken.

Gray blinked down at the woman who had broken his fall. There was a smudge of flour on her cheek. He wiped it off with his thumb.

He should have probably asked her if she was OK. She should have probably asked him to get off her. Instead they just stared at one another. Time seemed to have come to a stop. All the lingering touches of the last two weeks had been leading up to this moment. This unplanned, fortuitous, extremely inconvenient, wonderful moment.

They were both breathing in short, rapid pants. Her cheeks were rosy, flushed with desire. His lips were inches from hers. Gray's gaze flicked down to her mouth and then back up to her eyes. They had spent the last two weeks studiously avoiding eye contact and he now knew why. He was caught up in an inferno of desire. She wanted him. Just as badly as he wanted her.

She let out a little gasp of surprise as his desire for her made itself known, pressing into her belly. Gray cursed himself. He had not even kissed her yet and he was about to come in his trousers like some unpractised teen. Plus, it was one thing to exchange caresses, another altogether to have a surprise erection bearing down on you. He blushed, embarrassed, and moved off her.

Or he tried to. In a flash, he had been flipped over and Erza was on top of him, her legs straddling his hips, her face close to his. She gave a very deliberate wriggle of her hips and Gray saw stars behind his eyes. Her breath was warm against his lips. He felt, more than saw, her armour come off. All of a sudden, her soft curves were being pressed into him. It was more than he could handle.

"I want you," they said at the same time. Lips met, teeth clashed, buttons were fumbled with; twenty minutes later, they lay panting side by side, the two of them having just been thoroughly fucked.

"Fuck me," Gray panted.

"I need a few minutes," Erza panted back. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

A roar went up from the guild hall. "The contest!" Erza's eyes were wide. "How much time do we have left?"

"Not enough!"

They got off the floor in a panic. Gray was grateful for his stripping habit. No one would question why he was barely dressed.

"Shirt!" Erza hissed, pointing to the hickey above his left nipple.

OK, so they might have some questions. He quickly put his clothes on.

"Mira has some magic spray whipped cream that she keeps for emergencies. We just have to find it." Erza opened and closed cupboards, searching for the item.

"Found it!" Gray said, pulling out a canister from under the sink. "Weird place to keep-"

"No time! Let's go!" Forfeiting was not an option for Fairy Tail wizards. They might have gotten side-tracked, but Erza always competed to win.

She just about managed to scrawl a spiral on the cake with the whipped cream before the buzzer went off, signalling the end of the cook.

"It's not that bad," Gray said, seeing the disappointment on Erza's face.

A clump of cream fell off the cake and onto the plate.

"We worked hard this year. That shall have to be enough."

"True." He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Plus, I feel like a winner already."

There was that blush again. A guy could get used to this sort of thing.

* * *

In the kind of twist that was only possible at Fairy Tail, Gray and Erza came in third despite putting shaving foam on their cake. ("Why would you keep shaving foam in the kitchen?!" "I was helping Freed shave his head as penance for betraying the guild!").

Natsu and Happy came in second, Natsu having burned the fish cakes to a crisp and Happy having tried to make up for it by tossing raw fish on top of the plate.

Gajeel turned out to have used poisonous toadstools in his okonomiyaki. Cana ate the entire rum cake the moment her booze ran out. Levy and Lucy's cake collapsed, and it had turned out Solid Script was not very good at producing edible items.

Warren and Vijeeter ended up taking home the grand prize, the two of them being the only ones who did not try to poison the judges and/or burn off their taste buds. They split the reward; Master Makarov spent 30 minutes learning the latest dance moves and another 30 minutes listening to Warren's idea for a portable communication lacrima. All in all, it could have gone a lot worse for him.

With the excitement of the competition behind them, things returned to normal for Gray and Erza. Sort of. Except for all the sex they were suddenly having.

Erza liked to do it often, energetically and in a variety of places. Gray was pretty sure he had had sex in every back alley in Magnolia at least once. Not to mention every broom cupboard and storage room in the guild. It was the happiest he had ever been.

Things were changing for her too. She no longer spent her free time alone, pondering the conundrum of why Mystogan looked like Jellal. Gray had found her sitting by the window one day and dropped a sheaf of papers on the table. "They're not the same," he said.

"What?"

"He joined the guild a long time ago, before you. Before…" he tailed off, giving her a meaningful look.

"Oh."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I knew you were worried about it, so."

"Yes." She paused. "Thank you."

He huffed embarrassedly and walked away. She watched him go, wondering when the tingles she felt when she was around him had started to extend towards her heart.

* * *

Gray had no idea how he had ended up on Galuna Island again. He vaguely remembered being in the guild, wondering when he and Erza would next be able to sneak off. He remembered, as well, trying to pick a fight with Natsu, in the hopes that Erza would come and haul him off for some 'punishment.' Everything after that was a bit of a blur. There were flashes of blue. A blue cat. The blue sea. Blue hair. A vile tasting liquid. Had he been drugged? His thighs still burned. The demons in the village told him he had come _running_ across the water, screaming nonsense at the horizon.

He was sitting on the beach, waiting for someone to ferry him back to the mainland when a pirate ship drew up.

"This brings back memories," Erza said. She vaulted off the ship and waded the shallows leading up to him.

"Erza."

She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers. "I missed you," she said and kissed him.

There was something different about this kiss. Something scarier. He pulled away. "You missed me?" he repeated.

She gave him a curious look. "Yes."

"Oh. OK."

The ensuing pause was uncomfortable. Erza dropped her hands and took a step back. "Do you want to come home with me? Or make your own way back?" Uncharacteristic doubt crept into her tone.

"I'll come with you." His voice was a bit off, as though he were speaking from a great distance.

She was starting to feel a bit foolish. Coming all this way was starting to feel like an overly extravagant gesture. "Do you… want to say goodbye to the villagers?"

"No, it's alright." He gestured towards the trees, where a goggle-eyed demon girl was staring at Erza.

"Ah. Right. Let's get going then."

A few strained hours later, Erza had had enough. "What is it?" she demanded, as their train pulled out of Hargeon. "You are acting strangely."

Gray shook his head. "I think I'm still a little disoriented," he lied, "I have no recollection of going to Galuna Island."

"Yes, someone used a potion on most of the guild. Everyone was caught up in their imagined rivalries. Your rival was Happy, I think."

"I see. Do you know who did it?" A vision of blue hair surfaced in his mind.

"Yes."

"And you're not mad?" Erza seemed quite calm about the fact that Juvia had unleashed a 'love' potion on the entire guild in her quest to get his attention.

"Why would I be?"

Gray blinked at her rapidly. Maybe he had been reading too much into what she had said earlier. "Why indeed," he said, relief tinging his voice.

Erza watched him carefully. "People do silly things when they are in love," she said, more to herself than to him.

Gray looked out of the window. "I wouldn't call it silly."

"Huh? Oh. Yes. I had a talk with her about consent. And Master is punishing her as we speak. She will not do it again."

"Good." He felt relieved. Juvia's attentions were hard enough to deal with without adding mind-altering potions to the mix. A cheeky grin lit up his face. "So, I've heard the bathrooms on these new trains are quite spacious," he said casually.

"Yes. You should check them out," she replied absently. Understanding dawned. "Oh."

"Yeah." His eyebrows drew together. Erza was usually the one suggesting escapades, not the one failing to pick up on obvious hints. "What's wrong?"

Erza glanced at him. They were sitting facing each other, separated by a narrow gap between the train seats. It was only then that Gray realised that she had been holding her knees away from his. "Galuna Island brings back memories."

Gray waited for her to elaborate.

Erza looked out of the window and sighed. A determined expression overtook her face, as if she had, just that second, come to a decision. She looked him straight in the eyes and said matter-of-factly, "I have feelings for you, Gray."

Alarm bells went off in his head. To say that her words frightened him would be putting it mildly. He wanted to leap out of the train and run all the way back to Galuna Island.

A thousand scenarios flashed through his mind, the nicer of which involved Erza never speaking to him again. The dark ones, the ones he did not care to dwell on, they were so much worse. Ur's face flashed before his eyes and he had to shake his head to dispel the image.

"I see," he said quietly.

She smiled at him softly. "I do not expect anything from you. I just… wanted you to know. Where I stand."

"I see."

"Things between us. They can continue as they are. Nothing has to change."

"Except it already has."

"We could pretend nothing ever happened and go back to how things were before."

"No," he blurted. As much as the thought of a relationship scared him, as much as the thought of committing himself to Erza, of letting himself _feel_ , as much as it all scared him; he knew there was no going back. He liked the fact that he could predict her moods. He liked that he could tease her and make her blush. He liked whatever it was that they were doing. He just did not want to give a name to it. That would make it real. Making it real meant it could be taken away from him.

"You are scared," she surmised.

He nodded.

"No need to be. I mean it. I do not expect anything from you."

He gave her a sceptical look.

"Are you accusing me of lying, Gray?" Her battle-aura flared around her.

He bit back a laugh. "Never, Erza."

"Good." She grinned at him. "Want to check out those bathrooms?"

* * *

"Are you sure we should be going on a mission together?"

"Why?" Erza asked, buttoning up his shirt.

"Oh, it's just that you can't think straight when I'm near you," Gray said.

She did up the button on his collar, almost choking him. "Are you never going to stop teasing me about that?"

"Never, ever," he replied, leaning in to kiss her. "Ever."

She turned away to see to her own clothing. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

The bartender set down a mug of beer and a tumbler of whiskey, the clink of glass on wood lost in the bustle of the bar. Gray took a deep breath of the cigarette smoke that permeated the place and felt a pang of longing. The upside of traipsing all the way to Onibus was that there were no concerned guildmates hovering over him, worried that living vicariously would not be enough for him where the cancer sticks were concerned. The downside of course, was the company.

"Drink up, buddy! It's a rare thing for me to be out in the human world and I have my sight set on meeting some ladies!" Loke slapped him on the back enthusiastically.

"Why couldn't we have met ladies in Magnolia? I can't just materialise in different geographical locations, you know."

Loke gave him a sheepish look and took a sip of his whiskey.

"You've dated them all?" Gray asked incredulously.

He coughed discreetly. "A gentleman never kisses and tells."

"What about a Celestial Spirit?"

Loke laughed and slipped onto the barstool next to Gray. "What's up with you, buddy? You look even moodier than usual."

Gray took a sip of his beer. Then, a swig. Then, he downed the entire mug and asked for another. "There's this-, I have this-" He huffed, annoyed that he could not find a good way to begin. "I have this friend."

"Go on."

"And hypothetically there is a girl."

"An imaginary friend _and_ a hypothetical girl? This is more serious than I thought."

Gray glared at him. "It's not funny."

"You're right. Do go on."

"Say he and this girl were hypothetically, sort of… involved."

"Screwing."

Gray blushed and cleared his throat. "And the girl tells him that she has feelings for him-"

Loke sucked in a breath. "Bold move. You lose all your power the minute you admit that you want something more."

"Really? Then why is it that I feel so powerless?"

Loke raised his eyebrows at his slip. Gray turned away and stared into his beer. "She said she has feelings for him, but that she doesn't expect anything from him. At all."

"But she expects something anyway?"

"No! She really, truly, doesn't. Things have gone back to the way they were before she said… you know. It's almost like that conversation never happened."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is, how long can it last? How long before she wises up and realises that she can do better, be with someone who can actually commit, and this guy loses the best thing that has ever happened to him?"

Loke took a contemplative sip of his drink. "If it's the best thing that has ever happened to this guy, then why won't he commit?"

Gray did not respond. He slowly tore the beer mat in front of him into strips, and then set to work shredding them. A tiny pile of confetti grew before him.

"Is it maybe, that this guy is scared that she'll be taken away from him if he does?"

Gray looked up sharply at the question. He reached for another beer mat.

"And so, he pretends to himself that he doesn't feel anything, because that way, he can protect her. Even if he knows it's stupid and illogical."

Loke's remark was met with further silence. The bartender was eyeing the growing pile of paper in front of the two men with increasing misgiving.

"But maybe the guy is just being a jerk. And is toying with this girl's feelings. Coz sex is great, and no strings attached sex is even greater. Big whoop if she likes you, that's her problem. Not yours. You just have to use her and lose her. That's probably all she's worth anywa-"

"Shut up!" Gray grabbed Loke by the collar. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

Loke's eyes glinted behind his spectacles. "Maybe not."

Gray took a deep breath and released his friend.

"Love is a tricky thing," Loke mused, "you can do your best to protect the person you love, and they can be taken from you anyway. Does that mean you never love?

"Who knows, Gray. Maybe you'll end up like me, unable to be with the person you love. Dating a series of women because you can't stand your own loneliness, or the gaping void in your heart that she left."

"Well, that sounds fucking grim," Gray replied, draining his beer.

Loke snorted. "You're not that kid anymore. And this girl… she can take care of herself." He returned Gray's surprised look with a knowing one. "Just like Ur could. Let go of the solipsistic belief that you're responsible for other people's choices."

Gray sat silently for a long time, considering Loke's words. Finally, he scoffed and signalled to the bartender for another round of drinks. "Just because you use fancy words, doesn't mean you're talking sense," he said.

The ghost of a smile edged its way across his face.

* * *

"When did things change for you?" he asked, playing with her hair. She was on the other side of his bed, her face half obscured by the pillow she was lying on. She stared at the ceiling for a long time, silent. He wondered if perhaps he should not have brought up the subject. In case it was a sore point.

"After the Tower came down, things were different for me. I was finally free to let go of the past. For the first time ever, I had a future to think of. And I thought of you," she said. "But if you're asking when I started thinking of _you_ differently, then the answer is…" her voice drifted off as she considered the answer.

"Galuna Island," she said finally.

"What? Because I stood up to you?" Somehow the idea did not sit well with him. Erza was not so much of a tyrant that a little disobedience would grab her attention.

"No." She paused and smiled at him softly. "You had conviction."

He turned on his side so he could see her more clearly.

She sighed. "You now know about my past. To see that kind of conviction in someone else... it made me feel like I was not alone. That you would understand the things about me that I thought were unloveable."

Her eyes widened as she realised that maybe she had said too much. She turned on her side, away from him. "It's late. We're leaving for a mission early tomorrow. Go to bed."

The tips of her ears were pink again. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She fit perfectly against him; soft and warm but strong and unbreakable. He pressed a kiss into her hair. "Good night."

He could hear the smile in her voice when she replied, "Good night."

* * *

And now, as he watched Erza sway towards another table, in that garish orange uniform, he wondered what on earth he had done to deserve this much happiness.

Erza caught his eye in the mirror on the back wall and smiled. She leaned over a table, her upper arms coming together under her breasts, pushing them upwards.

The man at the table looked like he was about to cream himself, which earned him a death glare from Gray.

Erza watched his face change in the mirror and laughed.

"I am going on break," she called to Yajima-san, undoing her apron and placing it over the back of a chair. She glanced briefly at Gray and left the building.

Thirty seconds later, the restaurant mysteriously ran out of eggs and Gray left on an urgent errand to locate some.

"Took you long enough." Erza grabbed him as he went past and pulled him behind a stack of abandoned crates.

"You don't usually have complaints when I'm not quick," he smirked.

Erza growled and pulled him to her. "You better be quick now, or I might explode."

"Really?" Gray asked. He flipped up her skirt and slid his hand down her belly. His fingers met damp curls and he swore under his breath. "No underwear?"

"I thought I might flash you at work today, but the opportunity never came up." She looked almost sad.

"There's always the afternoon."

"I have something else planned for then," she shrugged.

"You're going to kill me," he said and kissed her.

Their kissing was frenzied; their hands running over each other's bodies, grasping and groping. Erza slid her tongue into Gray's mouth, stroking it over his.

She sometimes wondered if she could really be content if her life with Gray remained secret assignations and night-time trysts. She had thought that she would never love again. Not after the last time. Yet here she was. Could she really be sure in her conviction that this was enough? Somehow, she thought, yes. As long as she could be close to him, she would be happy.

She pressed him into the wall of the alleyway, pressing her hips into his. Her hands slipped under the waistband of his boxers, coming to rest cupped around his arse. "I have been thinking of this all morning," she said, tickling the backs of his thighs.

Gray flipped her, so that her back was against the wall. He ran his hands up the curve of her waist, over her firm breasts, up to the neckline of her uniform. "Just all morning? I've been thinking of doing this since last night," he said in between kisses to her collar bone. A sharp tug and her breasts bounced free.

"I was with you last night."

"I didn't get enough of you," he said. He took her nipple in his mouth, sucking on it gently. "I don't think I can ever get enough of you."

Her blush spread all the way down her chest, down to the hardened buds he was lavishing his attention on. He nipped at her breasts, eliciting small gasps of pleasure from her. She ran her nails along his back before grabbing his head and pulling his face back up to hers. She took his lower lip in between her teeth and sucked, making the blood rush to his groin.

He pulled one of her legs high around his waist, drawing circles on the inside of her knee. She grabbed him by his elastic waistband and pulled him closer to her. "Touch me," she breathed.

"I thought you'd never ask." He slipped his hand up her skirt and squeezed her bum, before trailing his way to her front. "Here?" he teased, brushing against her thigh.

She growled impatiently.

"Here?" He brushed his thumb along her hip bone.

She squirmed in his arms. "Please."

He traced a line down her soft skin, until he met the warm, wetness between her thighs. A gasp shuddered between her lips. His fingers moved in firm, gentle strokes, sliding in between her wet folds with ease. He flicked the nub at her apex, relishing the mewling sounds the action drew from her.

"More," she demanded, wrapping her leg around him more tightly.

His mouth kissed its way, hot and wet, between the valley of her breasts. He pressed his thumb to her clit and slipped inside her. Her walls instinctively tightened around his rough finger. Her hands grabbed at his back, signalling her need for more. He slid another finger into her, working her into a lather of tightly wound pleasure. She ground down onto his hand. "Give me more," she said, swinging her other leg around his waist and leaning into him to keep her balance.

Gray steadied himself by placing a hand on the wall. He slipped a third finger inside her, pushing them in and out of her while his thumb drummed a rhythm on her nub. She buried her face in his shoulder to muffle her moans as she came.

She stayed motionless for a few seconds, breathing heavily. "That was amazing," she said. She bit his shoulder, before raising her head to look at him with shining eyes.

Gray licked the wetness from his fingers. "We're not done yet," he said, pressing her against the wall and grinding against her.

The bulge in his trousers felt deliciously hard. She materialised a foil wrapped package from her pocket dimension. "I never said we were."

He slipped his hands under her bare bottom to hold her in place while she pushed his boxers down his hips with her toes.

She ran her hands over his abdomen, up to his chest. His breath hitched as she flicked a nipple. "Save the foreplay for when we're not on a job," he muttered.

She laughed at his impatience. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his already erect member and pumped. The tip of her thumb ran slowly up the underside of his shaft, stopping to flick it just under the head. He swore under his breath.

"Language," she chided. She ripped the foil open with her teeth and expertly rolled the condom down his length. She guided him into her, a sharp exhale whistling through her lips at the exquisite fullness of him.

He drove into her, fast and hungry. Erza wrapped her arms around him, grabbing his butt, pulling him closer, deeper with every thrust. She tugged on his ear lobe with her teeth, angling his head so that he could hear the moans she was trying to bite back. Her tremulous voice and the slick warmth between her legs almost tipped him over the edge.

He pushed her harder against the wall. He supported her weight with one hand and lifted her leg over his shoulder. Slowing his pace, he took his time with her. Cold air whispered over him as he withdrew from her, making her heat all the more glorious when he plunged back in. Over and over, moving in time with unheard music. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her derriere. He wanted to savour this. He wanted her to savour this. Her eyes widened with pleasure every time he drove into her. She clenched around him, her rhythm matching his thrusts. Gray gave a low moan and buried his face in her neck.

One of her hands fisted itself in his hair. She ran her nails along his scalp and then tugged gently on the hair at the back of his head. They kissed each other, drinking greedily from each other's lips. His heartbeat thrummed under her palm as she squeezed herself around him.

Her heels dug into his back, telling him to pick up the pace again. A staccato of moans fell, uncontrolled, from her lips, their cadences keeping time with his thrusts. Her fingernails dug into his back as she came undone. He squeezed her arse, gripping her tightly as pleasure flooded his body. He slowed as he emptied himself, his breaths coming in short puffs.

He gave her a minute to catch her breath, then gently set her down on her feet. She kept her hands on his shoulders, her legs not yet steady enough to hold her weight.

Gray kissed her, once, twice and then thrice. "Good?"

She nodded, still breathing heavily. "Good." She looked down, between their bodies. "I am not putting that in my pocket dimension. Not after what happened last time."

Gray thought back to the afternoon they had spent the previous week, cleaning cum off her armour. It had only led to them getting more cum on her armour. Albeit this time, she had been wearing it when it had happened. Had he mentioned Erza was kind of kinky?

"We're behind a restaurant, there's a bin right here," Gray chuckled. He tied off the condom and tossed it into the dumpster on the other side of the restaurant door.

"Oh. Yes. I forgot." It was a rare occasion that he discombobulated Erza enough for her to forget her surroundings. He felt a surge of pride at his sexual prowess.

Erza caught the expression on his face and huffed. The tips of her ears went pink. Gray did not think he would ever tire of seeing that happen. "Put your clothes on," she said.

Erza tugged her uniform back into place and smoothed out her skirt, then materialised a carton eggs from her pocket dimension. "This had better not have made a mess in there," she said sternly.

"It was your idea for a cover!" he protested, buttoning up the fly on his boxers.

She ignored him. "Wait five minutes before you follow me in."

"Wait." He grabbed her by the waist to hold her steady. He dropped to his knees. "I need a hit before you go."

His head disappeared up her skirt. She laughed, confused, but then parted her legs anyway. Gray buried his nose in her curls and took a deep breath. "That's the stuff," he said and kissed her.

She looked at him, bemused, when he emerged from under her skirt. It hit him then, so he said it before he could overthink it. "I love you."

Her mouth fell open for a second. She recovered before he got to his feet. "I see," she said.

"Yes."

"I love you too."

"Stop grinning like that. Everyone will know," he scolded, grinning back at her.

The smile vanished from her face. "We are not going to tell them. Right?"

"Never. Ever."

"Lucy will never stop asking me questions."

"Macao and Wakaba will never let me live it down."

The exchanged a horrified glance and said at the same time. "Juvia."

"Maybe we will tell Juvia."

He paled, flashing back to the Love Potion Incident. "Why?"

"I think she just wants Gray-sama to be happy."

Gray considered this for a moment and realised that maybe she was right. But that would be a bridge to cross when he got to it. Realising he was in love with his childhood friend was enough of an upheaval for one day. "You know, the '-sama' doesn't sound so bad when you say it."

"Oh?" she said, a scary mask descending upon her features.

"Only when there is an 'Erza' in front of it," he hastily backtracked.

She chuckled. "Come here, you've got something on your face."

"What?"

She licked his cheek and slid her tongue into his mouth. The slightly tangy taste of her juices was unmistakeable. "Oh," he said, when she pulled away.

"You've got some on the other side as well." She grabbed his chin to angle his head and gave his other cheek a long, slow lick. She was about to lean in and kiss him again when-

"W-what's going on here?" Lucy stuttered.

"Busted," Gray whispered to Erza. Somehow, despite the fact that they had been dreading it a second ago, it did not seem so bad to either of them.

Erza bit her lip to stop from laughing. "Play along," she whispered back. She cleared her throat. "Ah. Good day, Lucy." The marionette arms were back. "Gray had something on his face."

"Whipped cream," he offered unhelpfully.

She glared at him. "Yes, whipped cream."

"And you know how much Erza likes whipped cream."

More glaring. "Yes. I was just helping him clean his face. Ah, what is that Yajima-sama?" She held a palm to her ear exaggeratedly. "Ah I will be right there!" She smiled a rictus at them all and robotically marched back inside. Gray was barely able to hold back his laughter.

He watched her go, a dopey expression overtaking his features. Love. How stupid of him to have been terrified of it. "Wait for me," he said, running after her.

The two of them dodged around Natsu and stepped through the entryway, smiling goofily at each other.

"What was that all about?" Lucy asked Natsu.

Natsu wrinkled his nose. The gears in his brain slowly clicked into place.

"Natsu? Are you OK?" She peered at him concernedly.

But Natsu had burst, quite literally, into flames.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first lemon, so please please do leave me some feedback!
> 
> Also thanks to gaymirajane/icemakestars for the lovely edit that appeared alongside this work in the Grayza fanzine. What a match! I loved it so much!


End file.
